Spring 2013 issue (pdf) - Medical College of Wisconsin

Researcher studies non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
The National Institute of Diabetes
and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has
awarded a five-year,
$7 million grant to a
pediatric gastroenterology
researcher
to investigate the
link between intestinal
bacteria and
non-alcoholic fatty
liver disease
(NAFLD). Nita H.
Nita H. Salzman, MD,
PhD
Salzman, MD, PhD, Associate Professor
of Pediatrics (Gastroenterology) at MCW
and a researcher at Children’s Hospital of
Wisconsin Research Institute, will collaborate
as PI on the project with an
investigator at Washington University
School of Medicine in St. Louis.
NAFLD occurs when excess fat has
built up in liver cells due to causes other
than alcohol. This disease may affect up
to one third of Americans. NAFLD can
progress into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis,
in which the liver is inflamed and
may ultimately develop cirrhosis.
Recent evidence has demonstrated a
link between obesity, NAFLD and the
makeup of the intestinal microbiome, a
vast, complex and delicately balanced
ecosystem comprising bacteria, fungi and
viruses.
The intestinal microbiome plays an
important role in human health by preventing
infection, contributing to normal
immune function and influencing metabolism.
Disruption of this ecosystem may
lead to abnormal immune and metabolic
responses that are hypothesized to be
involved in the development of NAFLD.
The goal of this study is to investigate
the composition of the intestinal
microbiome in obese pediatric patients
with and without NAFLD to determine
whether differences in their intestinal
bacteria could relate to the development
of fatty liver and liver inflammation in
children. Understanding how changes in
the microbiome affect the progression of
NAFLD may lead to new methods of predicting
the disease and novel interventions
using prebiotics, probiotics or
antibiotics to manipulate the microbiome
for prevention or treatment.
Braza appointed Chair of PM&R
Diane W. Braza, MD ’87, GME
’93, Associate Professor of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation
and Associate
Professor of
Neurosurgery at the
Medical College of
Wisconsin (MCW),
has been named
Chair of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation after a
national review. Dr. Braza is the physical
medicine and rehabilitation residency
program director and had been serving as
interim chair of the department since
October 2011. Prior to assuming the role
of interim chair, she served as Medical
Director of Froedtert & The Medical College
of Wisconsin SpineCare Program.
Dr. Braza practices at Froedtert Hospital.
She oversees MCW’s physical
medicine and rehabilitation programs at
Froedtert, the Zablocki VA Medical Center
and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
She joined the MCW faculty in 1992.
Alumnus named to new endowed hematology chair
Parameswaran Hari, MD, Fel ’04,
MS ’06, Associate Professor of Medicine
(Hematology and
Oncology), has
been named the
first Armand J.
Quick/William F.
Stapp Professor in
Hematology at
MCW. Dr. Hari is
an internationally renowned researcher in
multiple myeloma, and serves as director
of the adult Blood and Marrow Transplant
Program at Froedtert Hospital. He
is also the scientific director for the
plasma cells disorder working committee
at the Center for International Blood and
Marrow Transplant Research.
The Armand J. Quick/William F.
Stapp Professorship was established this
year by MCW from an endowment provided
by the late William F. Stapp, MD
’51, and his family to honor the memory
of Armand J. Quick, MD, and to provide
support to a leader in hematology
research and practice.
The late Dr. Quick was Chairman of
Biochemistry at Marquette University
School of Medicine (MCW’s predecessor)
from 1944-1964. His research in the
fields of blood clotting and the diagnosis
and treatment of bleeding disorders
brought him international recognition.
He is best known for developing the
“Quick Prothrombin Time,” a clinical
blood test to diagnose bleeding disorders
and monitor dosage of anticoagulation
therapy that was a critical driver of
research in the field and is still used
widely.
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ALUMNI NEWS Spring 2013 5